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Books > Professional & Technical > Electronics & communications engineering > Electronics engineering > Automatic control engineering > Robotics

Human Factors in Intelligent Vehicles (Hardcover): Cristina Olaverri-Monreal, Fernando Garcia-Fernandez, Rosaldo J F Rossetti Human Factors in Intelligent Vehicles (Hardcover)
Cristina Olaverri-Monreal, Fernando Garcia-Fernandez, Rosaldo J F Rossetti
R2,846 Discovery Miles 28 460 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Human Factors in Intelligent Vehicles addresses issues related to the analysis of human factors in the design and evaluation of intelligent vehicles for a wide spectrum of applications and over different dimensions. To commemorate the 8th anniversary of the IEEE ITS Workshop on Human Factors (http://hfiv.net) some recent works of authors active in the automotive human factors community have been collected in this book. Enclosed here are extended versions of papers and tutorials that were presented at the IEEE ITSS Workshop on "Human Factors in Intelligent Vehicles" and also included is additional deeper analysis along with detailed experimental and simulation results. The contributors cover autonomous vehicles as well as the frameworks for analyzing automation, modelling and methods for road users' interaction such as intelligent user interfaces, including brain-computer interfaces and simulation and analysis tools related to human factors.

Mechatronics and Robotics - New Trends and Challenges (Hardcover): Marina Indri, Roberto Oboe Mechatronics and Robotics - New Trends and Challenges (Hardcover)
Marina Indri, Roberto Oboe
R3,641 Discovery Miles 36 410 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The term "mechatronics" was coined in 1969, merging "mecha" from mechanism and "tronics" from electronics, to reflect the original idea at the basis of this discipline, that is, the integration of electrical and mechanical systems into a single device. The spread of this term, and of mechatronics itself, has been growing in the years, including new aspects and disciplines, like control engineering, computer engineering and communication/information engineering. Nowadays mechatronics has a well-defined and fundamental role, in strict relation with robotics. Drawing a sharp border between mechatronics and robotics is impossible, as they share many technologies and objectives. Advanced robots could be defined as mechatronic devices equipped with a "smart brain", but there are also up-to-date mechatronic devices, used in tight interaction with humans, that are governed by smart architectures (for example, for safety purposes). Aim of this book is to offer a wide overview of new research trends and challenges for both mechatronics and robotics, through the contribution of researchers from different institutions, providing their view on specific subjects they consider as "hot topics" in both fields, with attention to new fields of application, new challenges to the research communities and new technologies available. The reader of this book will enjoy the various contributions, as they have been prepared with actual applications in mind, along a journey from advanced actuators and sensors to human-robot interaction, through robot control, navigation, planning and programming issues. The book presents several state-of-the-art solutions, like multiple-stage actuation to cope with conflicting specification of large motion-spans, ultra-high accuracy, model-based control for high-tech mechatronic systems, modern approaches of software systems engineering to robotics, aand humanoids for human assistance. The reader can also find new techniques in approaching the design of mechatronic systems in some possible industrial and service robotics scenarios, with a particular attention for the interaction between humans and mechanisms.

Machine Ethics - From Machine Morals to the Machinery of Morality (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020): Lu is Moniz Pereira, Antonio... Machine Ethics - From Machine Morals to the Machinery of Morality (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020)
Lu is Moniz Pereira, Antonio Barata Lopes
R3,984 Discovery Miles 39 840 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book offers the first systematic guide to machine ethics, bridging between computer science, social sciences and philosophy. Based on a dialogue between an AI scientist and a novelist philosopher, the book discusses important findings on which moral values machines can be taught and how. In turn, it investigates what kind of artificial intelligence (AI) people do actually want. What are the main consequences of the integration of AI in people's every-day life? In order to co-exist and collaborate with humans, machines need morality, but which moral values should we teach them? Moreover, how can we implement benevolent AI? These are just some of the questions carefully examined in the book, which offers a comprehensive account of ethical issues concerning AI, on the one hand, and a timely snapshot of the power and potential benefits of this technology on the other. Starting with an introduction to common-sense ethical principles, the book then guides the reader, helping them develop and understand more complex ethical concerns and placing them in a larger, technological context. The book makes these topics accessible to a non-expert audience, while also offering alternative reading pathways to inspire more specialized readers.

Cable-Driven Parallel Robots - Theory and Application (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018): Andreas Pott Cable-Driven Parallel Robots - Theory and Application (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
Andreas Pott
R4,661 Discovery Miles 46 610 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Cable-driven parallel robots are a new kind of lightweight manipulators with excellent scalability in terms of size, payload, and dynamics capacities. For the first time, a comprehensive compendium is presented of the field of cable-driven parallel robots. A thorough theory of cable robots is setup leading the reader from first principles to the latest results in research. The main topics covered in the book are classification, terminology, and fields of application for cable-driven parallel robots. The geometric foundation of the standard cable model is introduced followed by statics, force distribution, and stiffness. Inverse and forward kinematics are addressed by elaborating efficient algorithms. Furthermore, the workspace is introduced and different algorithms are detailed. The book contains the dynamic equations as well as simulation models with applicable parameters. Advanced cable models are described taking into account pulleys, elastic cables, and sagging cables. For practitioner, a descriptive design method is stated including methodology, parameter synthesis, construction design, component selection, and calibration. Rich examples are presented by means of simulation results from sample robots as well as experimental validation on reference demonstrators. The book contains a representative overview of reference demonstrator system. Tables with physical parameters for geometry, cable properties, and robot parameterizations support case studies and are valuable references for building custom cable robots. For scientist, the book provides the starting point to address new scientific challenges as open problems are named and a commented review of the literature on cable robot with more than 500 references are given.

Education in & with Robotics to Foster 21st-Century Skills - Proceedings of EDUROBOTICS 2020 (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021): Monica... Education in & with Robotics to Foster 21st-Century Skills - Proceedings of EDUROBOTICS 2020 (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2021)
Monica Malvezzi, Dimitris Alimisis, Michele Moro
R4,026 Discovery Miles 40 260 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This book includes papers presented at the International Conference "Educational Robotics in the Maker Era - EDUROBOTICS 2020", Online, February 2021. The contributions cover a variety of topics useful for teacher education and for designing learning by making activities for children and youth, with an emphasis on modern low-cost technologies (including block-based programming environments, Do-It-Yourself electronics, 3D printed artifacts, the use of intelligent distributed systems, the IoT technology, and gamification) in formal and informal education settings. This collection of contributions (17 chapters and 2 short papers) provides researchers and practitioners the latest advances in educational robotics in a broader sense focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education. Teachers and educators at any school level can find insights and inspirations into how educational robotics can promote technological interest and 21st-century skills: creativity, critical thinking, team working, and problem-solving with special emphasis on new emerging making technologies.

Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT (Paperback): Mario Ferrari, Guilio Ferrari Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT (Paperback)
Mario Ferrari, Guilio Ferrari; Edited by David Astolfo; Foreword by Dan Barry; Contributions by Bryan Bonahoom, …
R844 R678 Discovery Miles 6 780 Save R166 (20%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The Ultimate Tool for MINDSTORMS(r) Maniacs
The new MINDSTORMS kit has been updated to include a programming brick, USB cable, RJ11-like cables, motors, and sensors. This book updates the robotics information to be compatible with the new set and to show how sound, sight, touch, and distance issues are now dealt with.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT and its predecessor, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System (RIS), have been called "the most creative play system ever developed." This book unleashes the full power and potential of the tools, sensors, and components that make up LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT. It also provides a unique insight on newer studless building techniques as well as interfacing with the traditional studded beams. Some of the world's leading LEGO MINDSTORMS inventors share their knowledge and development secrets. You will discover an incredible range of ideas to inspire your next invention. This is the ultimate insider's look at LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT system and is the perfect book whether you build world-class competitive robots or just like to mess around for the fun of it.
Featuring an introduction by astronaut Dan Barry and written by Dave Astolfo, Invited Member of the MINDSTORMS Developer Program and MINDSTORMS Community Partners (MCP) groups, and Mario and Guilio Ferrari, authors of the bestselling Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms, this book covers:
Understanding LEGO Geometry
Playing with Gears
Controlling Motors
Reading Sensors
What's New with the NXT?
Building Strategies
Programming the NXT
Playing Sounds and Music
Becoming Mobile
Getting Pumped: Pneumatics
Finding and Grabbing Objects
Doing the Math
Knowing Where You Are
Classic Projects
Building Robots That Walk
Robotic Animals
Solving a Maze
Drawing and Writing
Racing Against Time
Hand-to-Hand Combat
Searching for Precision
*Complete coverage of the new Mindstorms NXT kit
*Brought to you by the DaVinci's of LEGO
*Updated edition of a bestseller

Intelligent Motorized Spindle Technology (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020): Yuhou Wu, Lixiu Zhang Intelligent Motorized Spindle Technology (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020)
Yuhou Wu, Lixiu Zhang
R2,688 Discovery Miles 26 880 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This book presents the latest information on the intelligent CNC machine tool spindle system, which integrates various disciplines such as mechanical engineering, control engineering, computer science and information technology. It describes a prediction method and model for temperature rise and thermal deformation in motorized spindles and proposes an intelligent stator resistance identification method to reduce the torque ripple of motorized spindles under direct torque control. Further, it discusses the on-line dynamic balance method for NC machine tool spindles. The biogeographic optimization algorithm and hybrid intelligent algorithm presented here were first applied in the field of motorized spindle performance control. In turn, the book presents extensive motorized spindle performance test data and includes detailed examples of how intelligent algorithms can be applied to motor spindle stator resistance identification, temperature field prediction and on-line dynamic balance. In summary, the book provides readers with the latest tools for designing, testing and implementing intelligent motorized spindle systems in terms of the basic theory, technological applications and future prospects, and offers a wealth of practical information for researchers in mechanical engineering, especially in the area of control systems.

Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI - An Introduction (Paperback): Michele Colledanchise, Petter Oegren Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI - An Introduction (Paperback)
Michele Colledanchise, Petter Oegren
R1,463 Discovery Miles 14 630 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Behavior Trees (BTs) provide a way to structure the behavior of an artificial agent such as a robot or a non-player character in a computer game. Traditional design methods, such as finite state machines, are known to produce brittle behaviors when complexity increases, making it very hard to add features without breaking existing functionality. BTs were created to address this very problem, and enables the creation of systems that are both modular and reactive. Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI: An Introduction provides a broad introduction as well as an in-depth exploration of the topic, and is the first comprehensive book on the use of BTs. This book introduces the subject of BTs from simple topics, such as semantics and design principles, to complex topics, such as learning and task planning. For each topic, the authors provide a set of examples, ranging from simple illustrations to realistic complex behaviors, to enable the reader to successfully combine theory with practice. Starting with an introduction to BTs, the book then describes how BTs relate to, and in many cases, generalize earlier switching structures, or control architectures. These ideas are then used as a foundation for a set of efficient and easy to use design principles. The book then presents a set of important extensions and provides a set of tools for formally analyzing these extensions using a state space formulation of BTs. With the new analysis tools, the book then formalizes the descriptions of how BTs generalize earlier approaches and shows how BTs can be automatically generated using planning and learning. The final part of the book provides an extended set of tools to capture the behavior of Stochastic BTs, where the outcomes of actions are described by probabilities. These tools enable the computation of both success probabilities and time to completion. This book targets a broad audience, including both students and professionals interested in modeling complex behaviors for robots, game characters, or other AI agents. Readers can choose at which depth and pace they want to learn the subject, depending on their needs and background.

Just Ordinary Robots - Automation from Love to War (Paperback): Lamber Royakkers, Rinie Van Est Just Ordinary Robots - Automation from Love to War (Paperback)
Lamber Royakkers, Rinie Van Est
R1,486 Discovery Miles 14 860 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

A social robot is a robot that interacts and communicates with humans or other autonomous physical agents by following social behaviors and rules attached to its role. We seem to accept the use of robots that perform dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs. But how far do we want to go with the automation of care for children and the elderly, or the killing of terrorists? Would we be setting humanity aside if we accepted such automation? Just Ordinary Robots: Automation from Love to War provides a socially involved, yet sober, view into the new age of robots. It supplies a cutting-edge look at robot technologies, including what these technologies are capable of and the ethical and regulatory questions they raise. The book surveys the various types of social robots and examines their social significance in homes, health care, traffic, the police, and the military. Considering the technical characteristics and societal expectations of robots in these areas, it explores what is possible right now in terms of robot technologies. It also looks into the social, ethical, and regulatory issues future robot technologies will create. The text provides authoritative insights into the social significance of robots for the medium and long term. Illustrating the political, administrative, and regulatory consequences related to each area, it highlights key points that need to be publicly discussed or put on the agenda by today's politicians and policy makers.

Autonomous Vehicle Navigation - From Behavioral to Hybrid Multi-Controller Architectures (Paperback): Lounis Adouane Autonomous Vehicle Navigation - From Behavioral to Hybrid Multi-Controller Architectures (Paperback)
Lounis Adouane
R1,507 Discovery Miles 15 070 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Improve the Safety, Flexibility, and Reliability of Autonomous Navigation in Complex Environments Autonomous Vehicle Navigation: From Behavioral to Hybrid Multi-Controller Architectures explores the use of multi-controller architectures in fully autonomous robot navigation-even in highly dynamic and cluttered environments. Accessible to researchers and graduate students involved in mobile robotics and fully autonomous vehicle navigation, the book presents novel techniques and concepts that address different complex mobile robot tasks. The author examines the development of reliable elementary controllers and proposes mechanisms to manage the interaction of these multi-controller architectures while addressing different constraints and enhancing metrics/criteria linked to the safety, flexibility, and reliability of the proposed control architectures. He covers the modeling of subtasks, reliable obstacle avoidance, appropriate stable control laws for target reaching/tracking, short- and long-term trajectory/waypoint planning, navigation through sequential waypoints, and the cooperative control and interaction of a group of mobile robots. The author's website provides MATLAB (R) and Simulink (R) source code of the main procedures related to the task modeling, planning, and control of mobile robots. It also includes videos showing the main simulations and experiments given in the text. In addition to flexible and bottom-up construction, multi-controller architectures can be formally analyzed to achieve reliable navigation in complex environments. This book reveals innovative control architectures that can lead to fully autonomous vehicle navigation in these challenging situations.

Advanced Technologies for the Rehabilitation of Gait and Balance Disorders (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018): Giorgio Sandrini, Volker... Advanced Technologies for the Rehabilitation of Gait and Balance Disorders (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2018)
Giorgio Sandrini, Volker Homberg, Leopold Saltuari, Nicola Smania, Alessandra Pedrocchi
R4,831 Discovery Miles 48 310 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the field of gait and balance rehabilitation. It describes technologies and devices together with the requirements and factors to be considered during their application in clinical settings. The book covers physiological and pathophysiological basis of locomotion and posture control, describes integrated approaches for the treatment of neurological diseases and spinal cord injury, as well as important principles for designing appropriate clinical studies. It presents computer and robotic technologies currently used in rehabilitation, such as exoskeleton devices, functional electrical stimulation, virtual reality and many more, highlighting the main advantages and challenges both from the clinical and engineering perspective. Written in an easy-to-understand style, the book is intended for people with different background and expertise, including medical and engineering students, clinicians and physiotherapists, as well as technical developers of rehabilitation systems and their corresponding human-compute interfaces. It aims at fostering an increased awareness of available technologies for balance and gait rehabilitation, as well as a better communication and collaboration between their users and developers.

Fundamentals of Robotic Mechanical Systems - Theory, Methods, and Algorithms (Hardcover, 4th ed. 2014): Jorge Angeles Fundamentals of Robotic Mechanical Systems - Theory, Methods, and Algorithms (Hardcover, 4th ed. 2014)
Jorge Angeles
R3,429 Discovery Miles 34 290 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The 4th edition includes updated and additional examples and exercises on the core fundamental concepts of mechanics, robots, and kinematics of serial robots. New images of CAD models and physical robots help to motivate concepts being introduced. Each chapter of the book can be read independently of others as it addresses a seperate issue in robotics.

Human-Friendly Robotics 2019 - 12th International Workshop (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020): Federica Ferraguti, Valeria Villani,... Human-Friendly Robotics 2019 - 12th International Workshop (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020)
Federica Ferraguti, Valeria Villani, Lorenzo Sabattini, Marcello Bonfe
R5,149 Discovery Miles 51 490 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

This book covers a wide range of topics related to human-robot interaction, both physical and cognitive, including theories, methodologies, technologies, and empirical and experimental studies. The International Workshop on Human-Friendly Robotics (HFR) is an annual meeting that brings together academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to present their latest, original findings on all aspects concerning the introduction of robots into everyday life. The growing need to automate daily tasks, combined with new robot technologies, is driving the development of human-friendly robots, i.e., safe and dependable machines that operate in close proximity to humans or directly interact with them in a wide range of contexts. The technological shift from classical industrial robots, which are safely kept away from humans in cages, to robots that are used in close collaboration with humans, is faced with major challenges that need to be overcome. The objective of the workshop was to stimulate discussion and exchange knowledge on design, control, safety and ethical issues concerning the introduction of robots into everyday life. The 12th installment was organized by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and took place in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Machine Learning for Big Data Analysis (Hardcover): Siddhartha Bhattacharyya, Hrishikesh Bhaumik, Anirban Mukherjee, Sourav De Machine Learning for Big Data Analysis (Hardcover)
Siddhartha Bhattacharyya, Hrishikesh Bhaumik, Anirban Mukherjee, Sourav De
R3,633 Discovery Miles 36 330 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This volume comprises six well-versed contributed chapters devoted to report the latest fi ndings on the applications of machine learning for big data analytics. Big data is a term for data sets that are so large or complex that traditional data processing application software is inadequate to deal with them. The possible challenges in this direction include capture, storage, analysis, data curation, search, sharing, transfer, visualization, querying, updating and information privacy. Big data analytics is the process of examining large and varied data sets - i.e., big data - to uncover hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends, customer preferences and other useful information that can help organizations make more-informed business decisions. This volume is intended to be used as a reference by undergraduate and post graduate students of the disciplines of computer science, electronics and telecommunication, information science and electrical engineering. THE SERIES: FRONTIERS IN COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE The series Frontiers In Computational Intelligence is envisioned to provide comprehensive coverage and understanding of cutting edge research in computational intelligence. It intends to augment the scholarly discourse on all topics relating to the advances in artifi cial life and machine learning in the form of metaheuristics, approximate reasoning, and robotics. Latest research fi ndings are coupled with applications to varied domains of engineering and computer sciences. This field is steadily growing especially with the advent of novel machine learning algorithms being applied to different domains of engineering and technology. The series brings together leading researchers that intend to continue to advance the fi eld and create a broad knowledge about the most recent research.

Control Design and Analysis for Underactuated Robotic Systems (Hardcover, 2014 ed.): Xin Xin, Yannian Liu Control Design and Analysis for Underactuated Robotic Systems (Hardcover, 2014 ed.)
Xin Xin, Yannian Liu
R4,780 Discovery Miles 47 800 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

The last two decades have witnessed considerable progress in the study of underactuated robotic systems (URSs). "C""ontrol"" Design and Analysis ""for ""U""nderactuated ""R""obotic ""S""yste""ms" presents a unified treatment of control design and analysis for a class of URSs, which include systems with multiple-degree-of-freedom and/or with underactuation degree two. It presents novel notions, features, design techniques and strictly global motion analysis results for these systems. These new materials are shown to be vital in studying the control design and stability analysis of URSs.

"Control Design and Analysis for Underactuated Robotic Systems" includes the modelling, control design and analysis presented in a systematic way particularly for the following examples:

l directly and remotely driven Acrobots

l Pendubot

l rotational pendulum

l counter-weighted Acrobot

2-link underactuated robot with flexible elbow joint

l variable-length pendulum

l 3-link gymnastic robot with passive first joint

l n-link planar robot with passive first joint

l n-link planar robot with passive single joint

double, or two parallel pendulums on a cart

l 3-link planar robots with underactuation degree two

2-link free flying robot

The theoretical developments are validated by experimental results for the remotely driven Acrobot and the rotational pendulum.

"C""ontrol"" Design and Analysis ""for ""U""nderactuated ""R""obotic ""S""yste""ms" is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in the area of control systems, mechanical and robotics systems, nonlinear systems and oscillation. This text will not only enable the reader to gain a better understanding of the power and fundamental limitations of linear and nonlinear control theory for the control design and analysis for these URSs, but also inspire the reader to address the challenges of more complex URSs."

Advances in Robot Kinematics: Motion in Man and Machine (Hardcover, 2010 ed.): Jadran Lenarcic, Michael M Stanisic Advances in Robot Kinematics: Motion in Man and Machine (Hardcover, 2010 ed.)
Jadran Lenarcic, Michael M Stanisic
R2,955 Discovery Miles 29 550 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The ?rst International Meeting of Advances in Robot Kinematics, ARK, occurred in September 1988, by invitation to Ljubljana, Slovenia, of a group of 20 int- nationally recognized researchers, representing six different countries from three continents. There were 22 lectures and approximately 150 attendees. This success of bringing together excellent research and the international community, led to the formation of a Scienti?c Committee and the decision to repeat the event biannually. The meeting was made open to all individuals with a critical peer review process of submitted papers. The meetings have since been continuously supported by the Jozef ? Stefan Institute and since 1992 have come under patronage of the Inter- tionalFederationforthePromotionofMechanismandMachineScience(IFToMM). Springer published the ?rst book of the series in 1991 and since 1994 Kluwer and Springer have published a book of the presented papers every two years. The papers in this book present the latest topics and methods in the kinem- ics, control and design of robotic manipulators. They consider the full range of - botic systems, including serial, parallel and cable driven manipulators, both planar and spatial. The systems range from being less than fully mobile to kinematically redundant to overconstrained. The meeting included recent advances in emerging areas such as the design and control of humanoids and humanoid subsystems, the analysis, modeling and simulation of human body motion, the mobility analysis of protein molecules and the development of systems which integrate man and - chine.

Multi-View Geometry Based Visual Perception and Control of Robotic Systems (Paperback): Jian Chen, Bingxi Jia, Kaixiang Zhang Multi-View Geometry Based Visual Perception and Control of Robotic Systems (Paperback)
Jian Chen, Bingxi Jia, Kaixiang Zhang
R1,484 Discovery Miles 14 840 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This book describes visual perception and control methods for robotic systems that need to interact with the environment. Multiple view geometry is utilized to extract low-dimensional geometric information from abundant and high-dimensional image information, making it convenient to develop general solutions for robot perception and control tasks. In this book, multiple view geometry is used for geometric modeling and scaled pose estimation. Then Lyapunov methods are applied to design stabilizing control laws in the presence of model uncertainties and multiple constraints.

From AI to Robotics - Mobile, Social, and Sentient Robots (Paperback): Arkapravo Bhaumik From AI to Robotics - Mobile, Social, and Sentient Robots (Paperback)
Arkapravo Bhaumik
R1,521 Discovery Miles 15 210 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

From AI to Robotics: Mobile, Social, and Sentient Robots is a journey into the world of agent-based robotics and it covers a number of interesting topics, both in the theory and practice of the discipline. The book traces the earliest ideas for autonomous machines to the mythical lore of ancient Greece and ends the last chapter with a debate on a prophecy set in the apparent future, where human beings and robots/technology may merge to create superior beings - the era of transhumanism. Throughout the text, the work of leading researchers is presented in depth, which helps to paint the socio-economic picture of how robots are transforming our world and will continue to do so. This work is presented along with the influences and ideas from futurists, such as Asimov, Moravec, Lem, Vinge, and of course Kurzweil. The book furthers the discussion with concepts of Artificial Intelligence and how it manifests in robotic agents. Discussions across various topics are presented in the book, including control paradigm, navigation, software, multi-robot systems, swarm robotics, robots in social roles, and artificial consciousness in robots. These discussions help to provide an overall picture of current day agent- based robotics and its prospects for the future. Examples of software and implementation in hardware are covered in Chapter 5 to encourage the imagination and creativity of budding robot enthusiasts. The book addresses several broad themes, such as AI in theory versus applied AI for robots, concepts of anthropomorphism, embodiment and situatedness, extending theory of psychology and animal behavior to robots, and the proposal that in the future, AI may be the new definition of science. Behavior-based robotics is covered in Chapter 2 and retells the debate between deliberative and reactive approaches. The text reiterates that the effort of modern day robotics is to replicate human-like intelligence and behavior, and the tools that a roboticist has at his or her disposal are open source software, which is often powered by crowd-sourcing. Open source meta-projects, such as Robot Operating System (ROS), etc. are briefly discussed in Chapter 5. The ideas and themes presented in the book are supplemented with cartoons, images, schematics and a number of special sections to make the material engaging for the reader. Designed for robot enthusiasts - researchers, students, or the hobbyist, this comprehensive book will entertain and inspire anyone interested in the exciting world of robots.

Autonomous Mobile Robots in Unknown Outdoor Environments (Paperback): Xiaorui Zhu, Youngshik Kim, Chunxin Qiu, Mark A. Minor Autonomous Mobile Robots in Unknown Outdoor Environments (Paperback)
Xiaorui Zhu, Youngshik Kim, Chunxin Qiu, Mark A. Minor
R1,471 Discovery Miles 14 710 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Mobile robots have been increasingly applied in many different scenarios, such as space exploration and search and rescue, where the robots are required to travel over uneven terrain while outdoors. This book provides a new framework and the related algorithms for designing autonomous mobile robotic systems in such unknown outdoor environments.

Visual Tracking in Conventional Minimally Invasive Surgery (Paperback): Shahram Payandeh Visual Tracking in Conventional Minimally Invasive Surgery (Paperback)
Shahram Payandeh
R1,485 Discovery Miles 14 850 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Visual Tracking in Conventional Minimally Invasive Surgery introduces the various tools and methodologies that can be used to enhance a conventional surgical setup with some degree of automation. The main focus of this book is on methods for tracking surgical tools and how they can be used to assist the surgeon during the surgical operation. Various notions associated with surgeon-computer interfaces and image-guided navigation are explored, with a range of experimental results. The book starts with some basic motivations for minimally invasive surgery and states the various distinctions between robotic and non-robotic (conventional) versions of this procedure. Common components of this type of operation are presented with a review of the literature addressing the automation aspects of such a setup. Examples of tracking results are shown for both motion and gesture recognition of surgical tools, which can be used as part of the surgeon-computer interface. In the case of marker-less tracking, where no special visual markers can be added to the surgical tools, the tracking results are divided into two types of methodology, depending on the nature and the estimate of the visual noise. Details of the tracking methods are presented using standard Kalman filters and particle filters. The last part of the book provides approaches for tracking a region on the surgical scene defined by the surgeon. Examples of how these tracking approaches can be used as part of image-guided navigation are demonstrated. This book is designed for control engineers interested in visual tracking, computer vision researchers and system designers involved with surgical automation, as well as surgeons, biomedical engineers, and robotic researchers.

Numerical Algorithms - Methods for Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Graphics (Paperback): Justin Solomon Numerical Algorithms - Methods for Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Graphics (Paperback)
Justin Solomon
R1,574 Discovery Miles 15 740 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Numerical Algorithms: Methods for Computer Vision, Machine Learning, and Graphics presents a new approach to numerical analysis for modern computer scientists. Using examples from a broad base of computational tasks, including data processing, computational photography, and animation, the textbook introduces numerical modeling and algorithmic design from a practical standpoint and provides insight into the theoretical tools needed to support these skills. The book covers a wide range of topics-from numerical linear algebra to optimization and differential equations-focusing on real-world motivation and unifying themes. It incorporates cases from computer science research and practice, accompanied by highlights from in-depth literature on each subtopic. Comprehensive end-of-chapter exercises encourage critical thinking and build students' intuition while introducing extensions of the basic material. The text is designed for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in computer science and related fields with experience in calculus and linear algebra. For students with a background in discrete mathematics, the book includes some reminders of relevant continuous mathematical background.

Understanding Geometric Algebra - Hamilton, Grassmann, and Clifford for Computer Vision and Graphics (Paperback): Kenichi... Understanding Geometric Algebra - Hamilton, Grassmann, and Clifford for Computer Vision and Graphics (Paperback)
Kenichi Kanatani
R1,603 Discovery Miles 16 030 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Understanding Geometric Algebra: Hamilton, Grassmann, and Clifford for Computer Vision and Graphics introduces geometric algebra with an emphasis on the background mathematics of Hamilton, Grassmann, and Clifford. It shows how to describe and compute geometry for 3D modeling applications in computer graphics and computer vision. Unlike similar texts, this book first gives separate descriptions of the various algebras and then explains how they are combined to define the field of geometric algebra. It starts with 3D Euclidean geometry along with discussions as to how the descriptions of geometry could be altered if using a non-orthogonal (oblique) coordinate system. The text focuses on Hamilton's quaternion algebra, Grassmann's outer product algebra, and Clifford algebra that underlies the mathematical structure of geometric algebra. It also presents points and lines in 3D as objects in 4D in the projective geometry framework; explores conformal geometry in 5D, which is the main ingredient of geometric algebra; and delves into the mathematical analysis of camera imaging geometry involving circles and spheres. With useful historical notes and exercises, this book gives readers insight into the mathematical theories behind complicated geometric computations. It helps readers understand the foundation of today's geometric algebra.

Wearable Technology for Robotic Manipulation and Learning (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020): Bin Fang, Fuchun Sun, Huaping Liu,... Wearable Technology for Robotic Manipulation and Learning (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2020)
Bin Fang, Fuchun Sun, Huaping Liu, Chunfang Liu, Di Guo
R3,988 Discovery Miles 39 880 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Over the next few decades, millions of people, with varying backgrounds and levels of technical expertise, will have to effectively interact with robotic technologies on a daily basis. This means it will have to be possible to modify robot behavior without explicitly writing code, but instead via a small number of wearable devices or visual demonstrations. At the same time, robots will need to infer and predict humans' intentions and internal objectives on the basis of past interactions in order to provide assistance before it is explicitly requested; this is the basis of imitation learning for robotics. This book introduces readers to robotic imitation learning based on human demonstration with wearable devices. It presents an advanced calibration method for wearable sensors and fusion approaches under the Kalman filter framework, as well as a novel wearable device for capturing gestures and other motions. Furthermore it describes the wearable-device-based and vision-based imitation learning method for robotic manipulation, making it a valuable reference guide for graduate students with a basic knowledge of machine learning, and for researchers interested in wearable computing and robotic learning.

Multi-UAV Planning and Task Allocation (Hardcover): Yasmina Bestaoui Sebbane Multi-UAV Planning and Task Allocation (Hardcover)
Yasmina Bestaoui Sebbane
R3,371 Discovery Miles 33 710 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

Provides a comprehensive introduction to multi-robot systems planning and task allocation; Explores multi robot aerial planning, flight planning, orienteering and coverage, and deployment, patrolling, and foraging; Includes real-world case studies; Treats different aspects of cooperation in multi-agent systems.

Cunning Machines - Your Pocket Guide to the World of Artificial Intelligence (Hardcover): Jedrzej Osinski Cunning Machines - Your Pocket Guide to the World of Artificial Intelligence (Hardcover)
Jedrzej Osinski
R3,324 Discovery Miles 33 240 Ships in 18 - 22 working days

There are many myths and mistakes which make the topics of artificial intelligence complex and confusing. But the truth is that the foundations of AI are not rocket science. People do not need a PhD to understand how a basic neural network works. In fact, one does not even need computer skills to learn this. Cunning Machines: Your Pocket Guide to the World of Artificial Intelligence explains the main concepts: what does AI really mean, where do we find it, how do scientists try to evaluate it, what are its main limitations and what future we can expect with it? It also describes the most popular AI techniques in an easy-to-digest form: Artificial neural networks Genetic algorithms The Monte Carlo method Natural language processing Ontologies and their applications This book is for everyone. Still, it may be especially valuable to teachers who wish to enrich their classes with some interesting and popular topics, sales managers and business analysts who wish to better understand the IT world, and finally politicians and journalists who take part in debates on the latest technologies. Jedrzej Osinski earned a PhD in artificial intelligence, has worked on government grants and has published 14 scientific papers to date. He is also the co-author of two books. At the same time, he has over ten years of experience working in IT companies of different sizes, domains (the web, telecoms, banking, e-learning), organisation structures and locations (Poland, Ireland and the UK). He is also involved in various initiatives promoting AI, science and modern technologies including blog posts, invited talks and TV and radio appearances

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